Technical Program Manager

Foundation•San Francisco, CA

11d•$150,000 - $280,000

About The Position

The Technical Program Manager shapes the vision and strategy of the vehicle program in partnership with engineering leadership, defining product priorities, technical roadmaps, and long-term development goals. This role owns end-to-end program execution from early prototype development through production and helps define product requirements, performance targets, engineering tradeoffs, and strategic direction. The position drives technical and business decisions that balance performance, cost, schedule, risk, and manufacturability. It leads cross-functional execution across Mechanical, Electrical, Software, AI, Operations, and Leadership, while contributing to resource allocation, engineering investments, development priorities, supplier strategies, and build-versus-buy decisions. The Technical Program Manager owns the transition from prototype to production, including development milestones, validation strategies, manufacturing readiness, and processes for scaling. The role works directly with company leadership to address major program challenges and identify opportunities for organizational change.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience spanning hands-on engineering and technical leadership (TPM, engineering management, or equivalent) on complex multidisciplinary products; 10+ years is also within the stated experience range.
Proven track record delivering integrated hardware-electronics-software systems from concept through manufacturing release.
Strong technical fluency grounded in real build experience, including judgment about when decisions require more rigor versus when to move quickly.
First-principles thinking and sound instincts for strategic tradeoffs, such as buy versus build and specialization versus generalization.
Experience with mechanical systems involving motion, kinematics, sensing, and closed-loop control, and software for embedded or hardware-adjacent systems.
Strong ownership and clarity in ambiguous environments.
Experience with iterative, incremental hardware development in fast-moving or startup contexts.
Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous programs into fundamental components, dependencies, and a fast-cycle execution model.
Strong executive presence and communication skills, with credibility among technical teams and leadership.
High EQ and sound judgment when navigating complex people dynamics across technical organizations.
BS or higher in a relevant engineering field, or equivalent experience.
Experience driving reliability growth, scaling readiness, and manufacturing release processes.

Responsibilities

Shape the vehicle program's vision and strategy with engineering leadership, defining product priorities, technical roadmaps, and long-term development goals.
Own end-to-end program execution from early prototype development through production, driving priorities, resolving blockers, and influencing critical decisions.
Contribute to product requirements, performance targets, engineering tradeoffs, and strategic direction.
Drive technical and business decisions balancing performance, cost, schedule, risk, and manufacturability.
Lead cross-functional execution across Mechanical, Electrical, Software, AI, Operations, and Leadership, aligning teams around shared goals and measurable outcomes.
Influence resource allocation, engineering investments, development priorities, supplier strategies, and build-versus-buy decisions.
Own the transition from prototype to production by defining development milestones, validation strategies, manufacturing readiness, and scaling processes.
Work with company leadership on major program challenges, identify opportunities, propose solutions, and drive organizational change.
Structure ambiguous programs by breaking them into components and dependencies and establishing a fast-cycle execution model.
Drive reliability growth, scaling readiness, and manufacturing release processes.